


Chemists are a strange class of mortals

by ViktoriousNikiforov



Category: Yuri!!! on Ice (Anime)
Genre: And he's a great scientist himself, But he doesn't believe it because ANXIETY THAT'S WHY, But then lots of love, I'm telling you too much, Intellectual property drama, Lab partners to SOULMATES, M/M, Multi, No one but Beka, Or maybe lots of angst because I'm a horrible person, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Scientists AU, Strangers to lab partners, They're both chemists, Viktor is the next Einstein, What happens in the lab stays in the lab, Yuri Plisetsky is a tiny genius that no one understands, Yuuri gets depressed, Yuuri is a big nerd for him, eventually
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-04-22
Updated: 2017-05-24
Packaged: 2018-10-22 17:16:15
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 8,149
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10701516
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ViktoriousNikiforov/pseuds/ViktoriousNikiforov
Summary: The talk was mostly about solid state chemistry, and Yuuri's true passion was more on the lines of organic synthesis, but Dr. Nikiforov made it sound... so fascinating. Perhaps the fact that his internship project was precisely related to solid state chemistry was... fate?Maybe one day, if things worked out just right, he would become Viktor's colleague.Yuuri scoffed at his own thoughts. 'Yeah right'.





	1. Brownian Motion

 

**April, 2016.**

 

 

Yuuri was in his favorite spot in the whole campus, sitting on the old, smelly couch right outside the Starbucks his college had been blessed with, his laptop on his lap. It wasn't too comfortable, but most of the time the place was empty and quiet. A hidden sanctuary that Yuuri had claimed for his own ever since he started his studies. He was a mess of disheveled black locks, crooked glasses and somewhat shaking limbs, running his eyes frantically over the lines of the paper displayed on the screen. It was the fifth he had read in the past thirty minutes, because he somehow forgot that this lab report was due today and _god, he wanted to die_. 

But it certainly wasn't his first time trying to finish -start- a report on its due date. It always happened, when he was managing to get great notes in a course, making his laboratory professors proud of him, he would somehow start losing motivation and concentration by the end of the semester and systematically mess up his final projects and assignments. A form of self-sabotage that Yuuri was all too familiar with. Thank god, his notes were still pretty amazing, but it always felt like he could have done better.

And then his phone rang, and Yuuri let out a groan, annoyed by the sudden interruption. "Phichit, I'm kinda dying at the moment so unless you're dying too I don't want to hear it."

His friend chuckled on the other end of the line. Not his normal, easy going chuckle, no. He sounded a bit hysterical, and Yuuri could picture him buzzing, for some reason. " _Oh my god_ , you haven't checked your email, have you?"

_As if I had the time_. "No, Phichit, I haven't checked my email. And I really need to get to work. _How and why_ are you reading my emails, anyway?"

"I know your IPad password, does it matter?  _You got it, Yuuri, you got it! I knew you could do it!_ "

Yuuri frowned, completely lost. When he didn't reply, he heard Phichit laughing again, thrilled of being the messenger of such news.

" _The internship! You're going to Russia, buddy!_ "

Yuuri dropped his phone, heart racing so fast he felt as if it was going to burst out of his chest. There was no way... he sent his application just because Dr. Cialdini had told him to do so, trusting that potential that everyone claimed to see in him but that Yuuri just couldn't find. He certainly hadn't applied thinking he could actually win.

The grin that spread on his face was so wide it menaced to split it in two, eyes big and beaming as he stared ahead at nothing in particular. He hadn't been this happy in a long time, in this state of unadulterated joy that his apprehension rarely allowed him to experience. Somehow, of all the people they could have picked for this important opportunity, they had picked _him._ With a bright smile, tears brimming at the corner of his eyes, he picked up his phone.

"I n-need to call mom. Thank you, Phichit."

Yuuri never handed that lab report.

 

**June, 2016.**

 

 

Finals had been pure hell, and Yuuri wasn't sure how he had managed to survive only on coffee for 72 hours straight (okay, maybe not  _only_ on coffee, there had been fries too and that sandwich of _god knows what_ that Phichit made for him). Still, he somehow aced almost every test, and the final notes of his courses had been pretty good. The news of his internship had provided enough motivation for him to make it through the last weeks of the semester.

Yuuri was by no means a brilliant student. He was smart, sure, but his notes never relied on sheer talent alone. No, Yuuri wasn't brilliant. But he was very, _very_ hardworking, and ridiculously passionate. He made mistakes from time to time and very often his mood held him back, but it was nothing compared to what his effort could accomplish. Of course, everyone but him seemed to be aware of it. 

Because Yuuri Katsuki, a Japanese 22 year old guy who had managed to be admitted in one of the most important colleges in America, free of paying for his tuition because his scholarship was  _that good,_  was also a big, walking bag of anxiety that always failed to give himself the credit he deserved. And now, in the plane that was taking him to Sochi where he would be conducting research for the next couple of months, Yuuri couldn't help but wonder if this had been the best thing to ever happen to him or just his cause of death. He had the awful feeling that it was the latter.

Realizing that he probably wasn't going to sleep in this hyper-vigilant state his worries induced, he pulled out his laptop, put on his headphones and thanked the airline silently for the internet access he still had up here. Phichit sent him the link where the _American Society of Chemistry and Nanoscience_ would be broadcasting live conferences for the rest of the weekend. Yuuri loved watching this sort of things, and always tried to attend when it was geographically possible. Even if sometimes he would barely understand what the whole topic of the talk was about, he loved every second of it. Because there was always something new to learn, always some new line of research he didn't even know about before. Science was like that, its diversity and richness always humbling but inviting at the same time. _One day, it would be him giving the talk._

When he clicked on the link and signed up for the newsletter so that the website would let him watch (more spam, but whatever), a silver haired man appeared on the screen. Unlike most of the outstanding scientists that were invited for these prestigious seminars, the speaker was rather young, barely a few years older than Yuuri himself. And _god, did Yuuri know about him._ The Russian genius that had turned the world's scientific community upside down with his elegant solutions to nanotech issues that most people thought impossible to solve. When he was Yuuri's age, he had already published around _fifteen_ papers in some of the most renowned scientific journals out there, and the man earned himself a doctoral degree before even turning twenty three. Dr. Viktor Nikiforov had the whole world at his feet, Yuuri included, and his discoveries had quickly earned him the status of celebrity.

And as if being one of the most brilliant minds of his generation wasn't enough, this man was gifted for communication too. The way the words flowed from his mouth made Yuuri feel like the charts the guy displayed on the screen were coming to life, showing not only that his research was a breakthrough on itself, but that it was just as breathtaking as... well as Viktor himself.  _Dr. Nikiforov_ , Yuuri silently corrected himself as he kept on watching the talk, something about how nano-structured materials were the next great revolution for the renewable energies industry. Sure, it was solid state chemistry, and Yuuri's true passion was mostly on the lines of organic synthesis, but Viktor,  _Dr. Nikiforov_ made it sound so fascinating... Perhaps the fact that his internship project was _precisely_ related to solid state chemistry was... _fate?_ Maybe one day, if things worked out just right, he would become Viktor's colleague. 

Yuuri scoffed at his own thoughts.  _Yeah right._


	2. Activation Energy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yuuri would always get on the verge of tears with the stress, then he would show Chris his ideas and the blond would just beam at him, nod and send him back to the lab. Sometimes with a wink. 
> 
> Yuuri felt both in heaven and hell. In a good way. Sort of.

**July, 2016.**

 

 

**YK:** I’m. so. tired.

**YK:** Help.

**PC:** Yuuri, darling, if my numbers are correct it’s 3 am in the morning where you are. Go get some sleep.

**YK:** I can’t, I have to red, I’m a freaking organic chemist I know NOTHING about diffractograms, okay.

**YK:** Read* Ugh.

**PC:** Then be Tony Stark and become an expert in one night. I know you can do it.

**YK:** You have too much faith in me.

**PC:** Nope, I disagree. Now stop procrastinating and go back to read. Or sleep, that’d be good too.

**YK:** I hate you. But okay. Bye :’(

 

Yuuri was half hoping Phichit would engage in conversation so he could pretend he didn’t have a ridiculous amount of information to memorize before tomorrow morning. No such luck. His vision was slightly blurry at this point of the night, even with his glasses on. His hands were kinda shaking too.

The first month and a half of his internship had been... good, just good. After the first two weeks of mandatory paperwork and trainings, things had slowly started to flow. Of course, as it always happened when arriving to a new lab, it took a couple of days for people to stop looking at him as some sort of intruder trying to steal their glassware. And then there was the language problem…

But his supervisor, Dr. Christophe Giacometti (Or _Chris_ , as he always insisted on being called, at least by Yuuri), had been nothing but nice to him from day one. The Swiss post-doc was very renowned among his colleagues, a physicist that apparently knew a little bit of everything and for some reason wanted Yuuri to be the same. _Even if you never use it,_ he said on Yuuri’s first visit to the messy lab their group worked on, _knowledge is power, little Yuuri, never forget that._

He had no idea that meant he had to pull all of these all-nighters reading endless chapters of physics books to prepare proposals for the day after. Yuuri would always get on the verge of tears with the stress, then he would show Chris his ideas and the blond would just beam at him, nod and send him back to the lab. Sometimes with a wink. 

Yuuri felt both in heaven and hell. In a good way. Sort of.

 

 

**August, 2016.**

 

 

"Pretty fucking sure I put the pipette here, you _asshole_." Yuri growled at one of his fellow researchers, pointing angrily at an empty spot on his laboratory bench. The poor guy seemed absolutely terrified of the blond, who looked like he was about to throw a whole bottle of sulfuric acid on him.  

"S-Sorry, sir, I didn't know you were-"

"Oh, I can tell you didn't, _idiot_ . Now get that pipette back. And I mean _my_ pipette. The others are shitty as hell." Yuri barked in return, and watched as the other hurried out of the room. Why was everyone so incompetent here? He had picked St. Petersburg State University only because the great Viktor Nikiforov was here. It made sense for him, that if someone like Viktor would rather be here than in any other more prestigious institution, then Yuri should do the same. After all, being a fourteen year old who graduated from Harvard just a couple of months ago, and already quite well known by the scientific community all over the world, he kind of had open doors anywhere he decided to go.

The thing was, even though the university's research facilities were practically a paradise for someone like Yuri Plisetsky, he hated how everyone kept underestimating him and treating him like a child. And Viktor, the _oh so famous_ genius Yuri had been so interested in meeting (don’t tell anyone)  was actually just a huge dork with a high performance brain. Sure, he was brilliant, absolutely brilliant. But he was also annoying as fuck.

"I'm so glad you're finally making friends, Yura." The silky voice called from behind him, in Russian rather than in English. Due to the number of international members their lab had, most people spoke in English while in there, but Viktor always talked to him in Russian when there wasn’t more people in the conversation.

The blond glared at him as soon as he turned, annoyed by the grin on the older's face. "How do you put up with them? They have no respect for other's samples or equipment! Where did you get these people, from prison?" He groaned indignantly, a single blond lock getting free from his braided ponytail and falling over his face, to what Yuri didn't seem to react.

Viktor laughed wholeheartedly. "You’re _so dramatic._ They’re trying, you know?" The silver haired man's hands slipped into the pockets of his labcoat, and his smile faded, his eyes turning apologetic. "I... Well I know I said I would be there for the next group meeting, since it's your second presentation, but I have to travel next week. There's a three-day congress in Sochi and they want me to give the keynote lecture so..."

Yuri's eyes widened slightly for just a moment, then he scowled, looking away. Viktor and his stupid travels. Yuri really shouldn't be surprised, with how ridiculously famous he was, but it still... _hurt_ , in a way. He had turned down many good opportunities in favor of working with ‘the great Viktor Nikiforov’, even though this university wouldn't let him go straight for a doctoral degree because he had to get a fucking master's first. And this asshole wasn't even trying to act like he gave a damn about Yuri's research. "Whatever. It's not like I needed you there."

Viktor sighed, not really knowing what to say. It was odd, how even though Yuri already had the knowledge most people could only dream of acquiring in their entire lifetime, Yuri was still just a teen away from his family and home, wanting for other people to care. Even if he would never admit it. "Well, we'll have many group meetings led by you in the future, you just started here." He said, hoping to lighten the mood just a little bit. Though of course, that only earned him another glare.

"I'll be done with this stupid master's in a year." Yuri stated, voice dripping confidence, challenging his supposed supervisor. "Though you probably won't notice, since you rarely do shit these days. It's Georgi who actually runs the lab. Do you even remember how to use _anything_ in here, _Vitya_?"

Viktor was taken aback by how much venom Yuri's words carried. He wasn't used to people talking to him like that, but... well, he couldn't help but think Yuri was right, at least to some extent. He had been living from his past achievements for quite some time. His group subsisted on his good name and on the work its members developed based on what Viktor had discovered when his name was a lot less famous and a lot more mispronounced.

Deciding to avoid Yuri's teasing about his lack of productivity in the lab, Viktor focused on the other, less problematic, but still interesting part. "A year? Now those are big words." He said finally, an eyebrow arched and lips curved up in a grin. "You'd have to work _a lot harder_ if you want me to grant you your degree in such a short period of time, Yura."

Yuri scoffed, green eyes sharp and furious. "I'm not afraid of a little hard work, Nikiforov. I know I can do it."

The older scientist hummed, a finger pressed to his lips in thought. "I'll tell you what. If you manage to truly surprise me and graduate in no more than 365 days from today, I promise I'll come up with a big project we can both work on together. And when I say big, _I mean big._ Nobel Prize big." That probably sounded a lot more pretentious than Viktor had initially intended, but Yuri's eyes still went wide and bright.

"Do you mean that?"

" _Of course._ " 

"I'll be very fucking pissed if you lie."

"I'm a man of honor, Yura, I would _never_ lie to you."

Yuri considered for a moment, narrowing his eyes at the other. Viktor was a 26 year old child, Yuri was aware. He could simply be trying not to feel too bad about not being there for Yuri's important presentation, or about being a lazy ass when it came to actual science and not his stupid conferences. _He was probably lying_. But... if he really meant it...

" _Deal._ "

Viktor could only grin. "Good. I hope you know, dear Yuri, that I don't grant degrees for free."

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm projecting on Yuuri tbh.
> 
> Thank you guys for the kudos <3


	3. Collision Theory

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yuuri’s head snapped up, and he looked at Chris with a pained, almost horrified expression. “You didn’t.”  
> Chris smirked. “I did.”  
> 

There were very few places on earth that could make Yuuri feel so much at peace as laboratories did. Any lab, really. The quiet buzzing of instruments too expensive for his undergrad pockets, the cold and -mostly- clean air that filled the room and consequently his lungs, the faint scent of _something_ he couldn’t quite pinpoint but that was most likely solvent, spilled by some clumsy student… _it all felt like home_. As weird as that sounded. Here his anxiety, insecurities and worries just faded away, and it was just him and his mind, his curiosity taking him to where no one else had been befo-

“Huh?”

_Click_

The sound of steps approaching made Yuuri turn just in time for the picture, and Chris seemed elated. “If physics ever stop working for me, I’ll take pics for a living.” The blond proclaimed proudly, his phone in hand and a wide grin on his face, emerald eyes bright as he tapped something on the screen.

Yuuri blushed heavily, putting down the beaker he had been holding. “W-What? Wait don’t-”

“Posted!”

Yuuri would have face-palmed if there weren’t nitrile gloves covering his hands. Still, even with the possibility of leaving traces of potentially hazardous chemicals on his face, it was rather tempting. “Just… I don’t even know what to say anymore. You’re so evil, Chris.”

The taller man gave him a cocky smile. “No need to thank. You probably have to write a report for your college about what you’ve been doing here, right? It wouldn’t hurt to include some pictures of yourself working.”

That… well, that made sense. But- “Then you could just send them to me instead of posting them, you know?”

“Oh but I’m so proud of you!” He protested with a pout, his words truthful. Ever since he started on this field, he had never met someone as efficient as Yuuri Katsuki. The man had very quickly surpassed all of Chris’ expectations by excelling on every assignment he was tasked with, even those Chris had been sure would be impossible for an undergrad. And as if that wasn’t enough, the Japanese man was just ridiculously _adorable_ , and Chris couldn’t help but feel sad about the prospect of him leaving in only a few weeks. “Besides...” He rested his forearm on Yuuri’s shoulder, smiling as he showed him the screen of his phone. “You look cute when you’re working.”

Yuuri sighed as he saw the picture. With Chris taking over the charge of Yuuri’s personal paparazzi ever since they started getting along, it was almost like having Phichit around. "You know what? I have to get back to work, did you have anything to discuss or...?"

"Right, sorry." The blond chuckled, putting his phone back into his pocket. “So… You know how I’m part of the organizing committee for the symposium we’re hosting next week?”

“Uh huh.” Yuuri said absentmindedly, once again focused on mixing the reagents for his polymer. He had to get another batch done so he could have time for more experiments before the weekend.

“Well, there was this contest for undergraduates only and the winners would get to present their research during the symposium, but one of them had to withdraw yesterday because of some confidentiality issue they had… And then I remembered _you,_ my super talented student who happens to be an undergrad too _..._ ”

Yuuri’s head snapped up, and he looked at Chris with a pained, almost horrified expression. “ _You didn’t.”_  
_  
_ Chris smirked. “I did.”

“ _Chris!_ ”

“What? It's just thirty minutes. You tell them about what you’ve been doing, answer their questions, and you're done. No big deal. I know you’re not fond of public speaking and such, but it’s a great opportunity to meet important people.”

“Oh _great,_ important people will be there to witness my demise, wonderful Chris, _really_.” Yuuri practically groaned, accidentally letting a few drops of polymer fall onto the fume hood bench, to what Chris just snickered.

“Honestly, you should love me for this. I had to convince the committee of how good you were so they would let you be a presenter.”

 _Yeah, thank you so much Chris. Now they’ve got expectations._ “I don’t think that’s fair, I didn’t even send an application…”

Chris just shrugged. “You would have won anyway. And the people who were ranked below the winners can’t make the trip with such little anticipation, most of them are living out of Russia so...” He patted the younger’s back, a wide smile on his face. “This is fate, _mon ami_ . Oh, and I almost forgot!" He added excitedly. "I have this friend, who happens to be a _living legend_ of nanotechnology, and he agreed to be the keynote lecturer so-”

Overwhelmed, Yuuri raised a gloved hand between him and the blond, shaking his head. “Just… stop, okay, p-please don’t tell me. It’ll only put more pressure on me at this point.”

Chris almost pouted again. “Oh _come on_ , Yuuri. Are you sure you don’t want to know?”

Yuuri nodded, his beaker now completely forgotten as he stared at his supervisor. “Look, I’ll do it, but I… I need to prepare. I only have a week before the symposium, so knowing who will be there making judgmental faces at me doesn’t sound like a good idea, you know what I mean?”

“Fine _…_ I guess you can meet him and the rest of the guest speakers during the closure banquet.” Something changed on Chris’ expression, his grin turning slightly flirty. Though that wasn’t too unusual when it came to Chris, so Yuuri didn’t pay much attention to it. Just like he didn’t think too much of how he was somewhat invading his personal space at this point. “It’s more of a party, though. If the mood gets just right I might pole dance a bit.”

Yuuri couldn’t tell if the blond was joking or not. “ _Um. Okay?_ ”

Chris chuckled. “What, can’t a physicist have hobbies? It’s _so much_ _fun_ , you would be surprised.”

Yuuri, well, he had some idea. Phichit’s fault. And that pole dance academy had great discounts for students so...

“Yeah, I guess.” He laughed awkwardly. “I’ll uh… I’ll try to have the slides ready by wednesday morning, okay? Can I drop by your office so you can take a look?”

Chris winked. Yuuri was just glad he was already used to Chris’ naturally flirty nature. “You know you’re always welcome, sweetie.”

 

* * *

 

Yuuri couldn’t believe there was a level of stress he still didn’t know about. Of course he had his presentation ready in less than two days, and both Chris and himself were quite satisfied with how it looked. But the _dread_ that filled him on the days prior to the symposium was almost maddening.

The morning before his presentation he called Phichit, hoping his friend would know what to say to calm him down. And indeed, it helped, even making Yuuri laugh a little.

 

_“Celestino freaked out so hard when I gave him the news, I think we lost him.”_

_There was a muffled voice at the other end. “Are you talking to Yuuri?”_

_“Yeah, Celes-”_

_“Yuuri you can do this! I’m so proud of you! Show them what you’ve got!” In his excitement, he probably didn’t notice he had switched to Italian as he continued his motivational speech. Phichit just laughed._

_“Whatever, try to enjoy this as much as you can, buddy. And remember, your research is your baby. No one in that room will know more about it than yourself.”_

 

Yuuri clinged to that idea. He knew what to say, he knew _how_ to say it and he was sure he was prepared for any questions they could possibly come up with. _He just had to stay calm._ And maybe, just maybe, everything would be fine.

No big deal, right?

 

* * *

 

 

Viktor didn’t know if it was even possible to push through the crowd of excited students, faculty members and science enthusiasts that surrounded him at the lobby. He had really tried to get to watch the presentations right from the start, even if they were just undergraduates. _Chris had insisted on him watching, after all_ . But now he was stuck here with endless questions being thrown at him, quite a lot of selfies requests, and some people even trying to get their printed copies of Viktor’s papers autographed. _Same old routine._

“Guys, I’d love to stay but I need to get in there for the next presentation or Dr. Giacometti will have me banned from his symposium for life.” He joked as he backed away and towards the conference hall, shooting a wink at the group.

Then it all happened too quickly.

He bumped into someone, and turned just in time to see him falling flat on his ass. _Student, maybe? He looks young, but not too young._ Viktor himself was a bit thrown off balance, but he hurried to the man’s side, offering a hand to help him up.

And god, _the man was a sight to behold._

He was wearing a rather plain, dark gray suit and a blue tie. _Ugly_ blue tie, Viktor noted, terribly unfitting for a man who was almost too painfully cute to look at. Those chestnut eyes made him want to drown in his gaze for the rest of his life, and then there was a blush coloring his cheeks and Viktor thought for a moment he was having a tiny heart attack. “S-Sorry.” The other stammered as he stood up without taking Viktor’s hand, refusing to look at him. Oh god, was he _angry_?

“No! _I_ am sorry, it was my fault. I was… distracted, I guess.” _Not good enough apology,_ he chided himself. _He was with the crowd, maybe? Perhaps he’s a fan._ “Uh… did you want a picture or something? Because it would be my pleasure.” Viktor tried, hoping that proposition and his charming smile would make up for the inconveniences. However, the other just frowned in response, and Viktor wanted to cry from how unreadable he found that expression. _Of fucking course he isn’t a fan, you idiot, not everyone has to give a damn about you, fuck fuck fuck-_

His train of thought was cut short by the sound of people clapping coming from the conference hall, and that seemed to get the man’s attention too. “That’s my cue.” He looked back at Vikor, locking eyes with him for just a moment before scurrying away between the entourage of fans (that Viktor had somehow forgotten about as soon as this raven haired man appeared) without so much as waving goodbye.

Viktor was left with a puzzled look on his face, his never-ending curiosity piqued.

Yuuri couldn't believe he was still breathing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, several things.  
> First, I'm so into my own AU that I had to draw Chemist!Yuuri and post it here lol I love him <3  
> Second, sorry in advance if there are any grammar mistakes, I don't have a beta reader ;-;  
> Third, people asking famous scientists to sign printed copies of their papers is something that legit happens. Been there, done that lmao, we're all dorks tbh.
> 
> Also, my tumblr is victoriousnikiforov in case you wanna drop by and say hello <3 Thank you for reading!


	4. Reaction Symmetry

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Breathing was getting harder and harder, and focusing his mind on what the slide behind him said was quickly becoming impossible.
> 
> The last thing he saw was Chris rushing to his side as the entire hall faded into darkness, and he was out cold.

 

When Yuuri walked into the conference hall, he felt like throwing up.

Whether it was his _old-as-time-itself_ stage fright what caused it, or maybe the fact that he had just met his longlife idol and _ruined it spectacularly by fucking tripping_ , he couldn't tell. He didn't quite hear what Chris was happily sharing with the audience as he motioned for him to come up the stage, the sound of his own heartbeats thumping too loud in his ears. And he knew, then and there, that he was going to mess up.

He took the microphone from Chris with a shaky hand, and watched from the corner of his eye as _Dr. Viktor Nikiforov_ walked into the hall.

Yes, this was definitely the worst day of his life.

"Thank you, Chris. Uh-" He looked at the audience, clammy hands adjusting his tie repeatedly because _why was it so hard to breath out of sudden?_ "Okay so... I'm Katsuki Yuuri- _Sorry,_ _Yuuri Katsuki,_ Japanese but pursuing my Bachelor of Science degree at the US... A-And I've been here as an intern for almost t-three months now..." His eyes found Chris among the attendants, and the blond gave him an encouraging smile. The nod Yuuri gave him in reply was almost imperceptible, but it was there. He had to at least _try_ to do this right.

The next three minutes went by more smoothly, with Yuuri going on and on about how organic solar cells were the next big step for the energy industry and the huge potential conductive polymers had in that particular front.

But Yuuri, well, _he was still terrified._  And that annoying voice in his head kept whispering that he was doing a terrible job, that everyone was wishing for nothing but for his talk to end. And when his eyes flickered to the audience (he had been alternating between staring at his slides and at Chris during the last couple of minutes) and found two young attendants quietly muttering something between them _and then laughing_ , Yuuri’s throat went dry.

The things he said after that point slowly stopped making sense.

And Yuuri tried to fix it, he really did, but the judging faces of the attendants that were watching him with arched eyebrows as if wondering what was wrong with him, were making him lightheaded. _Yes, I know, I wonder the same everyday_.

Breathing was getting harder and harder, and focusing his mind on what the slide behind him said was quickly becoming impossible.

The last thing he saw was Chris rushing to his side as the entire hall faded into darkness, and he was out cold.

 

* * *

 

After a brief and embarrassing visit to the infirmary Yuuri decided it was better to call it a day. _The incident_ left him too tired and ashamed to talk to anyone for the rest of the week. Or the rest the month, for that matter. He opened the door of his small studio and collapsed onto the bed, falling asleep almost immediately.

When he woke up from his nap his phone was bursting with notifications, nearly a hundred texts from Chris that included but were not limited to:

 

**CG:** Yuuri, please answer.

**CG:** I am so sorry, I had no idea your anxiety could get that bad, how are you feeling?

**CG:** Even Seung-Gil is worried. He asked me about you and that guy barely talks to me. Please answer.

 

And then there was the last one, which was Yuuri's personal favorite.

 

**CG:** You can be the first author in my next paper, I swear to god, just PLEASE ANSWER.

 

With a huff, Yuuri started typing.

 

**YK:** Chris calm down, I was sleeping.

**YK:** And I'm okay, I mean. I simply passed out in the middle of what was probably the most important moment of my career so far. No big deal.

**CG:** THANK GOODNESS, I WAS SO WORRIED.

**CG:** Yuuri, no one will think any less of you because of what happened. What you were trying to do was not an easy task.

**YK:** Chris, I freaking fainted.

**YK:** I'll just stay in my room and cry my eyes out until it's time to fly back home.

**CG:** Yes, stay in your room and rest. I'll pick you up for the banquet on sunday, okay?

**YK:** No. Absolutely not.

**CG:** What? Why? It'll be fun!

**YK:** After today? Seriously? Definitely not.

**CG:** But Yuuri, your internship is almost over... Maybe this can be like your farewell party? Pleaaase?

 

Yuuri didn't reply.

 

* * *

 

The remaining days of his internship were just as hectic with all the stuff he had to get done before leaving, but Chris was a lot more invested in helping him now after the whole unfortunate event. Yuuri hadn't mentioned it again, and neither had Chris. They did talk a bit about the banquet (that Yuuri had decided not to attend), and Chris had proudly shown him the pictures of his gorgeous, semi naked body doing wonders around the pole. Yuuri, having more than a little background in the discipline, would have commented on how flawless his technique was if his mood hadn't been so gloomy.

Because, once again, he had ruined everything.

He kept repeating to himself that his embarrassing episode at the symposium would never match the great things that happened during his time in Sochi. He’d learned so much, discovered so much… Hell, if things worked out and the manuscript Chris was working on was approved, they would publish a paper in a few months about the new conductive polymer Yuuri had helped formulate.

But Yuuri still felt like a failure.

Now he was finally at the airport, sitting with his luggage in front of him and scrolling down his Instagram feed, a small smile appearing on his face when he saw Chris had published another picture of him with the tag #ComeBackForPhD

_“Hey! You’re Chris’ student, right?”_

Yuuri startled almost enough to drop his coffee, and he turned wide eyed in the direction of the voice. “V-Viktor?” _Don’t be disrespectful, you idiot._ “I-I mean, Dr. Nikiforov…”

Viktor waved a hand dismissively, grinning. “Oh no, it’s okay. Viktor is fine. You’re planning on visiting other parts of Russia before going home, huh? You should come to St. Petersburg!”

Yuuri was still processing the fact that he was having a conversation with this man _for the second time in less than two weeks_ , but he somehow managed to form a decent reply. “Uh… Not really? I’m going back to Detroit.”

Viktor frowned. “Oh. Then I think you’re probably lost, this terminal is for domestic flights only.”

Yuuri’s cheeks went bright red at that, but right when he was about to apologize and run away, Viktor’s phone rang and the man groaned in something that looked like annoyance. “I-... Sorry, must be one of my students, it’ll be just a moment. Can you look after my luggage for a second?”

Yuuri nodded a bit too enthusiastically, and watched as the silver haired scientist walked a few meters away and spoke in Russian to the phone. The person at the other end was probably very upset _and angry,_ because Yuuri could hear their snarls from where he was standing, and Viktor looked slightly troubled. Yuuri looked at the screen of his phone, checking the time.

_6:36 pm. Still five hours before the check in. Stupid delayed flights._

Then, a moment later, Viktor was back with that soft smile on his face, and Yuuri couldn't help but wonder if he even remembered what had happened at Yuuri's horrible presentation. “Sorry about that- What was your name again...?”

“Y-Yuuri Katsuki?”

“Right. Yuuri Katsuki.” Viktor’s grin widened, and Yuuri felt like he was about to pass out again. _Fuck, how was he so gorgeous?_ “How long before you have to leave? Is it time to board your flight already? Because maybe we can go for dinner, if you want. My flight was delayed until tomorrow morning so I decided to stay at the airport hotel. I’d very much appreciate some company, if you’re free.”

Yuuri, still not quite comprehending what was going on, could only nod.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chris is the clingy supervisor we all wish we could have, pass it on.  
> I planned on posting this chapter yesterday but my other fic [**Cold Blood**](http://archiveofourown.org/works/10827780) happened so yeah lmao. If you're into vampires go check it out.  
>  Thank you for reading!


	5. Anti-bonding

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They talked about everything and anything, about their research, their dogs, and Yuuri ranted at some point about how pretty Viktor's hair was. The man had only laughed, reaching across the table and putting his hand on Yuuri's, mumbling something around the lines of ' _I like yours too'_.

The dim lights of the restaurant Viktor had picked for them were oddly warm and welcoming. _Almost like candle lights_ , Yuuri noted, which would have been romantic if his mind wasn’t so invested on feeling sorry for himself. And it wasn’t _meant_ to be romantic, was it? Because why would a brilliant academic like Viktor want anything to do with-

“Yuuri? Are you listening to me?”

It was probably better not to pretend he was. “Uh… No, sorry, I was distracted...”

Viktor’s smile was too open and kind for Yuuri’s liking. _Why are you even talking to me?_ “Don’t worry, I know you must be tired, you’ve been working so hard... Chris never goes easy on his students.” The man leaned forward, chin resting on his hand as those blue eyes stared a bit too intently at Yuuri. He seemed intrigued. “And yet... you somehow  _impressed_  him. He won't stop talking about you.”

Yuuri’s eyes darted back to his plate, absentmindedly prodding at the scoop of ice cream with his spoon until it fell off the chocolate cake slice. “Chris helped me a lot, really.”

That knowing grin on the other man's face made Yuuri feel exposed. “Don't lie to me. Chris told me everything about you. To produce enough data for a paper in less than two months is not an easy task. Chris is a little depressed that you have to go back to America, you know?"

Yuuri didn't respond, hands now hidden under the table. He knew he wasn't being very conversational, and he wished there was something he could do to loosen up. There were so many things, so many questions he wanted to ask this man, so many ideas he wanted to discuss... but his lips remained glued together no matter how much he tried to speak. _He was ruining it again_.

The silver haired man, however, didn't seem troubled by his lack of words. "Anyway, he briefed me on your research and I think it's just amazing. I don't know why no one never tried something like your formulation, but it's so brilliant! And coming up with a synthetic route that works at room temperature? That's really remarkable too." Yuuri would swear he saw true interest in Viktor's eyes, which only made him more nervous. "You're an undergrad, yes? Do you have a plan for after you graduate?"

 _No, of course not_. "I don't know... not yet."

The other nodded in understanding, and he was about to add something when a waitress approached the pair. Yuuri's Russian wasn't that good, even after three months in Sochi, but he picked the word  _вино_ in between her sentences. _Wine, wonderful._ Maybe a little alcohol would let him have a proper conversation with this man without passing out. And surely it would help relax before his flight, right?

"Я хоте́л бы шампанское!" _Okay,_ he knew his pronunciation was horrible, and his voice came out a little too loud for his liking. Viktor and the waitress startled, but before Yuuri could apologize they were smiling again. The woman wrote down something, exchanged a few more words with Viktor, and left them alone. 

Viktor arched an eyebrow at him. "Champagne, huh?"

Yuuri wanted to die. "Uh... yeah?"

The Russian smirked, and Yuuri could feel his cheeks burning. "Good idea. It's an special ocassion, after all."

"Is it, now?" Yuuri asked, brows furrowed in confusion. "And what would that be?"

"Having dinner together, of course." His voice was slightly flirty, but Yuuri didn't want to think about that too much. "I'm glad I had the chance to meet you, Yuuri."

The rest of the time they spent in the restaurant after the woman came back with the champagne, well, it was quite a thing. Once they had started drinking Yuuri just couldn't stop, and Viktor refused to be left behind. It was hard not to get overexcited when their conversation just kept getting better. They talked about everything and anything, about their research, their dogs, and Yuuri ranted at some point about how pretty Viktor's hair was. The man had only laughed, reaching across the table and putting his hand on Yuuri's, mumbling something around the lines of _"I like yours too"._

Aparently they were getting a bit too loud and drunk for the restaurant, and the manager approached them, politely asking them to leave.

Viktor looked up at him, stone faced, and proceded to say "Sorry, I don't speak Russian" with a very thick, obviously Russian accent.

Yuuri laughed until he teared up.

A few minutes later they were being led out of the airport by the security staff, embracing each other and giggling at whatever the officers were telling them. Yuuri wasn't sure how did they manage to get to Viktor's hotel room without getting lost _or_ losing their luggage in the process. 

_Viktor's hotel room._

The realization of where he was right now would make sober Yuuri freak out. But in his current state, he couldn't even bring himself to care about losing his flight anymore. More than anything in this moment, he wanted to be here. _He wanted to be with Viktor._ And oddly enough, Viktor seemed to want the same.

The man was clumsily arranging their luggage at the other side of the luxurious suite, his shirt half unbottoned already as Yuuri advanced in his direction. Yuuri noticed only now that he was in the middle of telling a story.

"... It had been mixing for like two hours! And you know how bismuth ferrite usually never takes that long to be formed? I mean, the reagents combust fairly quickly after the solvent has been removed, right?" He looked at Yuuri for confirmation, and the younger blinked several times before nodding, a wide but confused grin on his face. Satisfied enough with that, Viktor continued rambling. "Okay so... I wanted to take a look, but right when I got near the beaker there was this  _huge_ flame coming out of it, and I turned my head just in time to cover my face but my hair caught on fire... Have you any idea of how much I loved my long hair?!" Viktor made a distressed face, slumping onto a nearby sofa in the most dramatic way his drunk self could muster. "It was probably my fault, I put on a keratin treatment that day, I had no idea it was flammab-... " 

Yuuri, unable to hold back any longer, cut out his words by pressing their lips together in a passionate, fervent kiss. Viktor's arms wrapped around his waist as Yuuri straddled him, refusing to let go.

 

* * *

 

“What do you mean you’ll take the next flight? Are you still arriving tomorrow or- _Leo stop that!_ ” Phichit groaned at the younger, who was popping bubble wrap with an oddly satisfied smile on his face. There were heaps of balloons scattered all over the little apartment, and a big sign with the words _'Welcome home, Yuuri!'_ was covering the table almost entirely. It was a bit tacky, but Phichit had decorated it himself and he was satisfied enough with the result. He wasn't an arts major, okay? Give him a break.

“ _No, I don’t think so. I’ll be there maybe friday night?_ ”

Phichit scowled, glaring as he snatched the bubble wrap from the other, who whined in response and slumped further into the couch. Leo buried his face on a cushion, unaware of the little hamster that was now climbing up his arm. “But why? You should have boarded that plane last night, what happened?”

At the other end, he heard Yuuri sighing, long and tired. _Weird_ . “ _Something came up._ ”

Phichit was far from satisfied with such a vague explanation, but being experienced when it came to reading Yuuri Katsuki and his complicated moods, he was fairly certain that his friend didn't want to talk about it. Being pushy wasn't going to get him the truth. “ _Fine_. Are you sure you're all right, Yuuri?”

This time there was a hint of irritation in the other’s voice as he spoke. “ _Yes. I am fine, okay? I’ll see you on friday._ ”

Phichit arched an eyebrow, surprised at the subtle outburst, but didn't comment on it. "Uh... Yeah, see you later, buddy." Yuuri sighed again before ending the call, leaving Phichit with a bewildered look on his face. 

Leo rolled over onto his back, the hamster running as fast as its tiny legs allowed to avoid falling in the process, settling securely on the guy's chest. "Is he staying in Russia forever or what?" Phichit's only response was throwing a cushion at him. 

"Call Guang Hong. We need more balloons and a lot of comfort food, I think something happened."

 

* * *

 

"Please let me pay for your flight, Yuuri. It's the least I can do." Yuuri forced himself not to look at Viktor, not to meet that pleading gaze that would easily melt his will to keep whatever dignity he had left. _He had been so stupid._

"No. I'll be fine. This-  _this was a mistake_ , I'm not- I don't usually do things like _this_..." He scrambled into his shirt, his hair a disheveled black mess as he hurriedly put his belongings back into his suitcase. Aparently, somewhere during the night his drunk self decided it would be cool to show all his Russian souvenirs to Viktor, and mess with his perfectly folded clothes in the process. He wanted to punch himself, though the throbbing headache that had woken him up just a few minutes earlier was probably a punishment in itself. The reminder of what he had done. "I'm sorry you lost your flight too. This shouldn't have happened."

Viktor looked heartbroken, his hotel robe loosely tied around his waist, arms wrapped around himself. Yuuri tried not to think of the blurry memory of his own fingers carding through those silver locks, tried not to imagine the touch of those lips against his skin. It was better if he just forgot.

"Yuuri what's so wrong? I thought... I thought we had a good time-"

"That is not the point!" Yuuri exclaimed a little too harshly, making Viktor flinch. He had to do both of them a favor and leave, pretend none of this ever happened, pretend Viktor had never picked an interest in him, because he was painfully aware that that interest wouldn't last. " _You don't even know me, Viktor._  I'm... I'm sorry I wasted your time." His hands were trembling slightly as he closed his suitcase.

"D-Did I do something wrong? I don't understand why are you so upset... Yuuri, please don't leave..." Viktor tried to reach out for him, but Yuuri moved away, dragging his luggage along. He didn't say a word as he left the room.

 

* * *

 

Yuri was fuming (as usual) as he looked everywhere for his piezoelectric pump. Well, okay, it wasn't _his_ , it was property of the lab, but he used it a lot more than anyone else in the group. _Of course he had the right to call it his pump._  Besides, he had ten more experiments to finish in the remaining of the day, and then he had to test Georgi's devices if he wanted to be included in his paper.

Pulling his gloves off -in case he had to slap someone- he stormed into the main section of the lab.

"If one of you fuckers has my piezo pump I swear I will fucking-... _Viktor?"_

He arched an eyebrow as he saw the older Russian crossing the door. He was visibly tired, not sporting his usual, annoying cheerfulness, and looking uncharacteristically serious.

It made Yuri restless. 

"You look like shit." The blond stated as he put his gloves back on, waiting for whatever weird reply Viktor would come up with. Instead, the man just gave him one of his fake smiles and nodded, agreeing. 

"Georgi told me you're helping him with his experiments. Please let me know when you're done with that, yes?"

Viktor was being so pleasant it was borderline scary. Sure, he was always nice, _iritatingly nice,_ but he had never been above using some passive-aggressive sarcasm in response to Yuri's shit, ~~and Yuri kind of found that entertaining~~. This new attitude was... disturbing. "Yeah, whatever. I'll be done with them today." 

Viktor grabbed one of the old, rather rudimentary devices he had fabricated several years ago. Yuri didn't know what those were, but he did know that they could be found all over the lab, relics of Viktor's old victories and breakthroughs. The man inspected it silently, a longing look on his face. "There's someone I want you to meet. He's the new graduate student of the group, a microbiologist, and very talented for someone his age. For now he can be in charge of your cell cultures so you can have biological samples to try your compounds on. Ask Mila to introduce you. His name is Otabek, if I remember correctly."

Yuri didn't like the idea of having to share part of his job with other people. He'd very much rather mess up himself than having someone else doing it, but... well, he wasn't a biologist, and ordering cell lines was expensive. Maybe he could use some help. "Sure, I'll do that. But I can't promise to work with him if he turns out to be an asshole."

The man didn't even seem to hear him, simply nodding in response. And then, in a gesture that surprised Yuri, Viktor dropped his old device into the trash can with a perfectly blank face. Yuri had the impression he was dumping something else along with that old piece of polymer. "I'm sorry I couldn't make it to your presentation. Next time I'll be there."

"... You okay, old man?" Yuri asked, a bit surprised that he was saying those words to his annoying PI.

Viktor smiled tiredly, gave Yuri a soft pat on his back, and left without a word.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> </3

**Author's Note:**

> I'm a chemist, Yuri!!! on Ice has taken over my life, so of course I had to do this AU. Stay tuned for more Nerd love. Hope you guys like it <3
> 
> EDIT: Forgot to mention, I got the title from a quote by Johann Joachim Becher. Look it up, it's beautiful.


End file.
